For the 1989 novel also known as The Thirteenth Majestral, see Dinosaur Park (novel) . For The World Heritage Site in Alberta, Canada, see Dinosaur Provincial Park
Dinosaur Park is a tourist attraction and dinosaur park in Rapid City, South Dakota, United States. Dedicated on May 22, 1936, it contains seven dinosaur sculptures on a hill overlooking the city, created to capitalize on the tourists coming to the Black Hills to see Mount Rushmore. Constructed by the City of Rapid City and the Works Progress Administration,[2] WPA Project #960's dinosaurs were designed by Emmet Sullivan. Sullivan also designed the Apatosaurus at Wall Drug nearby in Wall, South Dakota, the Christ of the Ozarks statue in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, and the dinosaurs at the now closed Dinosaur World in Beaver, Arkansas.
The park is located at 940 Skyline Drive and is maintained by the city of Rapid City. Admission is free; however, steep flagstone stairs may limit handicapped accessibility. The park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 21, 1990.
History
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Background
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In the 1920s and 1930s, Rapid City was looking to capitalize on the growing tourist traffic into the Black Hills, primarily at Mount Rushmore. Additionally, Rapid City was experiencing a population boom due to the establishment of nearby Ellsworth Air Force Base. The Great Depression added an extra incentive for the city to increase profits. Such a construction project would also allow the local government to apply for federal funding, as well as promote local jobs and commerce.[3]
Development and construction
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In 1935, the Rapid City Chamber of Commerce planned to build Dinosaur Park. Some sources credit South Dakota School of Mines and Technology paleontologist C. C. O'Harra for the idea; others suggest the idea was that of R. L. Bronson, secretary of the Chamber of Commerce, who had seen a mechanical Brontosaurus sculpture during a tip to Chicago. As prehistoric fossils had long been found in the Black Hills, a dinosaur-themed attraction seemed a natural choice.[3] The park was dedicated on May 22, 1936.[4]
Barnum Brown was the paleontological consultant and provided the descriptions and measurements for each replicated fossil; and Emmet Sullivan, who had previously designed other dinosaur parks, was hired as the chief sculptor and designer. Aided by the Works Progress Administation, who supplemented the costs and helped with engineering, construction began shortly after. As many as 25 workers were contructing the park at any given time. The Federal Emergency Relief Administration sponsored the construction of Skyline Drive, which would provide access to the park. Due to a dispute between Sullivan and the WPA over the dinosaur teeth—Sullivan retired from the project in 1937 and the new foreman disagreed with him over the installation method for the T. Rex sculpture's teeth—construction was not finished until 1938. In total, the park cost $25,000 to complete. The site also included a log gazebo, which has since disappeared. Additionally, fossilized dinosaur footprints that had been found in the area were planned to be moved to the park, but this apparently was never completed.[3]
Later history
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The park in 1967Grants in the 1960s allowed the park to be updated. The city refurbished the sculptures, walkways, and landscaping, and added a larger parking lot. The current concession and gift shop was also built at this time. On June 21, 1990, the park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Only the original five sculptures were listed on the register.[3]
As of 2023, a $3 million renovation project is currently being carried out to renovate the walkways and stairs, among other improvements, and is scheduled to be completed in mid-2024.[5]
Dinosaurs and facilities
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Dinosaurs represented in the park include Apatosaurus, Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, Stegosaurus, and an Edmontosaurus annectens. A Protoceratops and a Dimetrodon were added later on and are located near the gift shop and parking lot. With the exception of the Protoceratops, the selected dinosaurs were based on fossils found in South Dakota and the Western United States.[3]
Gift shopThe dinosaurs were constructed out of 2-inch-wide (5.1 cm) black iron pipe under a wire mesh frame and a concrete skin. Being constructed in the 1930s, the dinosaurs reflect the thinking of the times.[4] This includes dragging tails; three fingers on the T. rex as opposed to two; the dimensions; and the naming of the E. annectens sculpture as the now-outdated classification Trachodon. The largest sculpture is the Apatosaurus, which stands at 28 feet (8.5 m) high and 80 feet (24 m) long; it is visible from much of Rapid City. Originally, the dinosaurs were gray in color, but by the 1950s the statues had been painted bright green with white undersides.[3]
The T. rex's original finger claws, as well as its teeth, have been lost or damaged over the years. Vintage postcards of the T. rex do in fact show these were originally part of the sculpture. The Stegosaurus also had a shorter tail with 4 correct tail spikes, but the tail spikes were removed and the tail itself considerably lengthened.[citation needed]
Gallery
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Apatosaurus
Tyrannosaurus rex
Triceratops
Stegosaurus
In popular culture
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Dinosaur Park is the subject of the song "Dinosaur Park" from Owl City's 2023 album Coco Moon.[6][7]
See also
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References
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Dinosaur Provincial Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site situated a two hour drive east of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; or 48 kilometres (30 mi), about a half-hour drive northeast of Brooks.
The park is situated in the Red Deer River valley, which is noted for its striking badland topography, and abundance of dinosaur fossils. The park is well known for being one of the richest dinosaur fossil locales in the world. Fifty-eight dinosaur species have been discovered at the park and more than 500 specimens have been removed and exhibited in museums around the globe. The renowned fossil assemblage of nearly 500 species of life, from microscopic fern spores to large carnivorous dinosaurs, justified its becoming a World Heritage Site in 1979.
Dinosaur Provincial Park Visitor Centre
The Dinosaur Provincial Park Visitor Centre features exhibits about dinosaurs, fossils, and the geology and natural history of the park. There is a video theatre, fossil prep lab area, and a gift shop. Public programs are offered in the summer.
John Ware's Cabin is a restored early 20th century cabin that was used by John Ware, an African-American cowboy and important figure in Alberta's ranching history. The cabin is located near the visitor centre and is open on select days in the summer.
History
Established on June 27, 1955 as part of Alberta's 50th Jubilee Year with the goal of protecting the fossil beds, the first warden was Roy Fowler (1902-1975), a farmer and amateur fossil hunter.
The park was established as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on October 26, 1979 both for its nationally significant badlands and riverside riparian habitats, and for the international importance of the fossils found there.
Until 1985, discoveries made in the park had to be shipped to museums throughout the world for scientific analysis and display, including the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto in Ontario, the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa in Ontario, and the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, New York State. This changed with the opening of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology 100 kilometres upstream in Midland Provincial Park adjacent to Drumheller.
Nature
Hoodoos at Dinosaur Provincial Park
The park protects a very complex ecosystem including three communities: prairie grasslands, badlands, and riverside cottonwoods. Its ecosystem is surrounded by prairies but is unique unto itself. Choruses of coyotes are common at dusk, as are the calls of nighthawks. Cottontail rabbits, mule deer, and pronghorn can all be seen in the park; the prairie rattlesnake, bull snake and the red-sided garter snake are present as well. Curlews and Canada geese are among the 165 bird species that can be seen in the spring and summer. Some of the most northern species of cactus, including Opuntia (prickly pear) and Pediocactus (pincushion) can be observed in full bloom during the later half of June.
Geology
The sediments exposed in the badlands at Dinosaur Provincial Park were laid down over a period of about 1.5 million years during the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous epoch, and belong to three different geologic formations. The top of the terrestrial Oldman Formation, which outcrops at the base of the sequence, is the oldest. It is overlain by a complete section of the terrestrial Dinosaur Park Formation, which is in turn overlain by the base of the marine Bearpaw Formation. The Dinosaur Park Formation, which contains most of the articulated dinosaur skeletons, was laid down between about 76.5 and 74.8 million years ago. It was deposited in floodplain and coastal plain environments by river systems that flowed eastward and southeastward to the Western Interior Seaway.
Paleontology
The badlands near the entrance of the park
Dinosaur Provincial Park preserves an extraordinarily diverse group of freshwater vertebrates. Fish include sharks, rays (such as the durophage Myledaphus), paddlefish, bowfins, gars, and teleosts. Amphibians include frogs, salamanders, and the extinct albanerpetontids. Reptiles include lizards (such as the large monitor Palaeosaniwa), a wide range of turtles, crocodilians, and the fish-eating Champsosaurus. Mammal fossils from the park are relatively rare and consist of isolated teeth, fragmentary jaws with teeth, and tooth fragments from mouse-sized and shrew-sized animals. They include representatives of placental, marsupial, and multituberculate mammals.
Plant fossils from the park and surrounding area include fern fronds; foliage and wood of taxodiaceous and cupressaceous conifers; and leaves of Ginkgo, Cercidiphyllum, Platanus, a Pistia-like aquatic plant, and others. A rich assemblage of fossil pollen and spores has also been described.
The dinosaurs of the park are astonishingly diverse. They include:
Ceratopsia
Hadrosauridae
Ankylosauria
Hypsilophodontidae
Pachycephalosauria
Tyrannosauridae
Ornithomimidae
Caenagnathidae
Dromaeosauridae
Troodontidae
Classification Uncertain
Birds such as Hesperornithiformes were present, as well as giant Pterosauria related to Quetzalcoatlus. Stagodont marsupials, placentals and multituberculate mammals scurried underfoot.
Gallery
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Images for kids
See also
In Spanish: Parque provincial de los Dinosaurios para niños